Hey hey, I'm wondering what other slalom/cone skaters on this forum think of our having our own 'introduce yourself' thread? We're such a small and growing type of skating in the US that its still pretty intimate particularly on this forum, and I'm keen to know who is out there, particularly in the US - I only really know about those that allow me to teach or coach them, and those that write to me.

If people are up for this, I'll kick it off:

Name: Naomi GriggLocation: UK, but looking to change that. Pretty much live on the road.Equipment for slalom: Seba Igor skates, Gyro wheels, Twincam IQL-9 bearings.Favourite slalom trick: maybe actually 'the Italian'! It feels so good and can be done fast.Events?: Yes. formerly as competitor, but now as 'very concentrated spectator' (judge) or organizer.How long skating & slaloming: 16 years skating, 7 years slaloming.Other info: Umm... can't think of anything to write here, but wanted to encourage everyone to write anything they want about themselves...!

Name: David Brown
Country: United States
Equipment for slalom: Seba High skates, Seba wheels, not sure what bearings I've got at the moment. They are just the standard bearings my Sebas came with
Favourite slalom trick: Mabrouk - although that may change once I can nail down Alternating Crazy!
Events?: Yes. Was in Battle US last year, hoping to make San Fran this year.
How long skating & slaloming: 17 years skating, 7 years slaloming.
Other info: I have attended workshops with Naomi 3 times, done one retreat with her and have attended workshops that Dennis Palmer has done. He's a member of Naomi's Skate Freestyle team.

I started out doing what I term American style slalom: 9in tall cones spaced 6 feet apart, usually on a hill. Then I met Dennis and discovered freestyle slalom. I highly recommend doing a workshop or retreat with Naomi! If you find yourself in the Boston area, or live in the Boston area, stop by Memorial Drive on Sunday afternoons starting the last weekend in April. I'll be out practicing each weekend weather and schedule permitting!

Name: Doug PersonsLocation: near Seattle, USAEquipment for slalom: Seba High skates, sometimes Seba, sometimes Gyro wheels.Favorite slalom trick: Sun.Events?: I've been to all the Battle US event, and PSWC 2008, as a competitor, but haven't been very competitive How long skating & slaloming: 6 years skating, 5 years slaloming.

I'm Stacy. I live in Seattle, and I've been doing for slalom for 5 years. My current skates are the Seba Igors, which I love. I do go to competitions, though I actually hate competing, but I love meeting other skaters. I'm not sure I have a favorite move. I tend to fall back on the Sun a lot, and I'm working on mastering the Screw.

In the interest of full disclosure, I also sell Seba skates at skatecrazy.net.

Skali doesn't take part in the comps that are used in most countries (Battle or WSSA classic), so I don't think he would take part, but I'm sure he'll come & hang out if he's in town - he's a nice, friendly guy. I'll email him now actually.

Thanks, Naomi. Good idea. I am curious how many more slalomers there actually are in the US.

Name: Kirsten
Location: Chicago, IL but I am from Germany. I have lived in the US for 6 years
Equipment for slalom: Getting used to my Seba FR1s with deluxe frame and my beloved Hyper Wicked Glass Hockey wheels. Had Rollerblade Fusions until a few weeks ago.
Favourite slalom trick: I know that sounds very beginner but I always fall back to the backwards criss cross. I like the sun and mabrouk as well
Events: Did a few races for fun like 24hr Montreal, SFO marathon but no slalom events yet. Hoping to make it to Battle US
How long skating & slaloming: 10 years, 2 years slaloming.
Other info: I'm organizing Windy City Inline Skaters. Check us out at www.windycityinlineskaters.com and Skate with us should you ever visit Chicago.

Thanks, Naomi. Good idea. I am curious how many more slalomers there actually are in the US.

I'm trying to collate that information at the moment, creating a state by state contact database, and you'll be surprised how the numbers are accumulating! I think the US freestyle skaters association forum has thousands of members.

****NOTE****On all other message boards, my member name is atlsk8r. However, someone else already has that name here, so I'll be GregT. Sorry for the confusion

Name: Greg

Location: Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Skating Disciplines: freestyle slalom, street, speed

Current Skates: Seba High Deluxe (2008), Pinnacle speed boots

Past Skates: Loads of K2s, Rollerblade Twister II, Harper speed boots

Favorite Tricks: Hard to call them "favorites", more like "habits". They are: 1) crazy variants, 2) crazy leg variants, 3) lots of turns - basically anything that keeps me from successfully making my way down the entire line of cones in a run. I am partial to Mexican and its derivatives. Not a big fan of technical stuff, but Naomi has recently taught me some more advanced moves.

experience : ~1 year of slalom. i was lucky enough to have a few hours of Naomi's time last spring, and have been harping at her to come back ever since. I've resorted to tempting her with bribes of chocolate, we'll see how it goes

Name: Evilzzz, Van
Country: UK
Equipment for slalom: Seba FR1
Favourite slalom trick: Probably the tricks that I can do well are the Sun & the Mega.
Events: Not up to competition standard...
How long skating & slaloming: 3 years general skating, on/off slalomer. Currently trying to become a semi competent speedster, so I've not dodged a cone in anger all year. That will probably all change next year though.
Other info: I have Naomi's old Problades!

Name: RonLocation: The Netherlands/Holland. Planning to move to the USA next year.Equipment for slalom: Powerslide FSK Cell 2 2009 model.Favorite slalom trick: No favorites yet.Events: Nope.How long skating & slaloming: Skating for 14 years or so, on and off. Slalom... not even 2 weeks Other info: Aggressive skater the first 6 years. Had a "little accident". Got someone else s skate in my mouth, broke several teeth, heavy concussion.... stopped aggressive skating for a long time, tried to pick it up several times, but didn't like it anymore. Did some fitness skating on and off since, and discovered slalom skating about a month ago.